Times Past

By Adriane QuinlanMonday, July 16, 2007

In the futuristic world of Japanese product design, watchmaker Haruo Suekichi is an unabashed Luddite. His handcrafted, one-of-a-kind timepieces hark back to the rudimentary mechanics of the Victorian era. Bulbous watch faces show hands ticktocking around miniature globes; others, crafted of delicate wiring, tremble like mechanical insects. One watch is designed to fit on a thumb, another to be strapped on easily by a one-armed man.

Borrowed from animé and manga, Suekichi's style is labeled "steampunk" and draws visual inspiration from a steam-powered epoch, when amateurs fashioned fabulous machines for all kinds of purposes....